


Unexpected

by pear_soup



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Bisexual Zuko (Avatar), Fluff, Incorrect Use of Semicolons, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Insert, Soft Zuko, Starts at Book 2 Chp 7, Toph Goes To Bars For Bar Fights, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, idk what to tag, very light angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2020-08-20 20:37:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20234005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pear_soup/pseuds/pear_soup
Summary: The crowd stood in shock as the firebender revealed himself to be the Banished Prince of the Fire Nation, still fighting his fight. Tension grew thick as the village let the information given sink in. His presence amongst the town quickly left a sour taste in most of the residents’ mouths as their fear and anger started to flare gaining nasty looks from adults and children alike.All but a single 15-year-old boy.The young earthbender was captivated by how gracefully yet powerfully the prince moved; entranced by the burning amber flames erupting from a single flick of a hand. It was so bright and deadly but for a good cause.The travelling prince was shunned out of the community almost as soon as the fight ended, and he left without sparring a second glance at the small village.





	1. Chapter One

\- - - - - - - - -

| ZUKO |

\- - - - - - - - -

The sun batted down on the firebender, like a picken being roasted for dinner. His mouth was severely dry and with his food and water supply diminishing, there wasn’t anything he could do. Thankfully, the universe seemed to be cutting him some slack for the time being, letting him past by a small oasis as the sun bid goodnight.

Zuko dismounted his stolen ostrichhorse, guiding the animal towards the small water source, and sitting next to a small tree. The atmosphere was so calm and peaceful, unlike anything hes ever felt before. Taking off his straw hat, he watched the stars twinkling above him. The boy hoped his uncle was doing well without his help. He knew the man could take care of himself perfectly fine, but it didn’t stop him from worrying and wondering.

“HEY!” His thoughts were interrupted by a yell. His eyes quickly shot open scanning his surroundings for another human being. Sure enough, a figure riding a camelhorse was headed towards his direction. He instinctively put himself into a fighting position, preparing for the worst. As Zuko saw the person drawing nearer, he realized the figure was just a boy who looked around his age, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Without dropping his guard, he dropped his stance and watched closely as the boy came to a halt in front of him. The [H/C] haired boy flashed a smile at him before dismounting his camelhorse.

“I can’t believe I actually caught up to you,” chuckled the male. “You left without any extra food or water.” The yet-to-be-named boy untied one of the many sacks attached to the animal and fished out what seemed to be dried fruit slices. Zuko gave a questioning look to the kind stranger.

“Why did you follow me all the way out here to give me food? Shouldn’t you hate me like the rest of your village?” asked the dumbfounded prince. Zuko had a hard time fathoming why a complete stranger of the village he was just kicked out of was offering him food like an old acquaintance. The strange male must have sensed his utter confusion, letting out a light laugh.

“Why should I hate you? Besides, you haven’t done anything to me personally,” smiled the boy. He walked over to Zuko before handing him some dried apple slices. Zuko’s stomach growled loudly, causing a laugh to erupt from the other male. Embarrassed, the prince accepted the food before returning to his place next to the tree.

Comfortable silence surrounds the two travelers for quite some time while they ate their portions. The stranger had himself cozy next to Zuko, watching the many stars above them. The firebender could see the boy a little more clearly now. His [E/C] eyes shone brighter than any star Zuko had seen, and his hair looked so soft- What was he thinking?! He quickly shifted his gaze to the sandy ground as he felt his face heat up. The male next to him must have noticed his sudden movement and let out a soft giggle. Zuko felt as if his face would erupt in flames.

“[Y/N].”

“Huh?”

“My name,” smiled the [Short/Long] haired boy. “It’s only fair since I already know yours.”

“R-right.”

*~*~*~*~*

Somewhere in their conversation, the two tired teens had ended up falling asleep. That night was one of the first dreamless slumbers in many years for the firebender; the first time he felt refreshed after a long night’s sleep. Zuko woke up to a weight on his left shoulder. Groggily, looked down to see [Y/N] sleeping soundly on his shoulder. He felt his cheeks burn up once again, but this time he felt the corners of his mouth twitch upward. His mind drifted back to different moments of their conversation from the previous night.

_Zuko’s eyes laid downcast as he sank deeper into his thoughts. Suddenly he felt something warm trace his scar and immediately jolted away in surprise._

_“S-sorry!” apologized [Y/N] frantically as he retracted his hand quickly. “I-I shouldn’t have done that.”_

_“It’s-s okay!” reassured the firebender. Zuko would be lying if he said he didn’t like the sensation, but that would too awkward to say out loud, wouldn’t it? The [H/C] boy’s face turned redder than a ripe tomato beside Zuko. _

_“D-did I say th-that out loud?”_

It’s strange how close you can get to a person in just a few hours. Zuko’s short daydream was cut off by rustling from the earthbender beside him. [Y/N] slowly lifted his head from Zuko’s shoulder before stretching and earning a few satisfying pops.

“Good morning,” yawned the newly awoken male. Breakfast was eaten in silence with a couple stolen glances at each other.

Nothing like the company of a new found friend.


	2. Chapter Two

\- - - - - - - -

| Y/N |

\- - - - - - - -

_“It must have been tough growing up with so many expectation placed on you,” said [Y/N], barely above a whisper. _

_“What’s your family like?” asked Zuko curiously. The boy went silent for a while. “I’m sorry. You don-“_

_“They don’t exist anymore.” His tone was flat. Emotionless. “It’s probably for the best though.”_

_“Oh.”_

The sun was once again showering the dessert with extreme waves of heat. Zuko was a few feet ahead of [Y/N] on their endless wander in the dessert. A few days had pasted since the two had first met, and in those few days, they had already gotten to know each other better than any other people they have encountered.

“I think I see some buildings up ahead,” said Zuko, happily. “We can probably stay there for the night.” Even the thought of shade for the blistering sun was enough to make the earthbender almost cry tears of pure joy.

As the pair arrived closer to the town, they heard two voices. Maybe an argument of sorts? [Y/N] looked over at Zuko. He could see his travel companion visibly tense up once they were within earshot of the conversation. [Y/N] watched as Zuko stopped his ostrichhorse and as quietly as a mouse, he slid off and cautiously made his way to the nearest building, hiding behind it. Zuko shot [Y/N] a look, as if saying ‘get over here!’.

The two hid behind the buildings for a while as tension started to accumulate. [Y/N]’s hands started to feel clammy, beads of sweat forming on his skin as his anxiety started to rise. Something was going to happen, and it wasn’t going to be nice for them.

Without much of a warning, Zuko leaped out from behind the wall landing (literally) in between the argument. The atmosphere grew even heavier than [Y/N] thought was possible. He didn’t know what to do other than watch as the battle started. He cautiously analyzed the two opponents Zuko was facing, one of which seemed familiar; like a blurry image.

Something clicked and realization swept over [Y/N]; the kid in orange was the AVATAR and the girl was the PRINCESS AZULA. Dread crept up his spine as he watched the fight progressed. Fire, air, more fire. At this rate the whole ghost town would probably burn to the ground. He watched as Zuko dodged the fire from his sister but apparently not quickly enough. The world started to slow down as the fire drew closer and out of pure instinct, [Y/N] bent the earth into a wall in front of his friend right as the fire almost hit Zuko straight in the abdomen.

Without much time to think, [Y/N] bent the earth into large cubes before throwing them in the direction of Azula. She dodged them with grace and without breaking a single sweat. With adrenaline pumping in his veins, the next moments passed with a blur. More people joined and they had all managed to corner their common enemy. The blur faded as a blue flame danced through the air towards someone, and without thinking, he leaped.

“[Y/N]!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading! I hope you are enjoying the story. Kudos and comments are very much appreciated and make me very happy :) .


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is having a good morning/day/evening/night! This is a really short chapter, but please enjoy it anyways :)

\- - - - - - - -

| ??? |

\- - - - - - - -

_‘…’_

_‘… [Y/N]?’_

_‘…’_

_‘No. It can’t be him.’_

_‘He died when I was 6.’_

\- - - - - - - -

| Y/N |

\- - - - - - - -

_The grass was soft and the flowers where in full bloom. A warmth bubbled in his chest as the girl in front of him finally lifted the rock off the ground. The sound of happy, proud, excited laughter filled his ears, smile stretching even larger across his face. _

_“Toffee! You did it!” he shouted through laughter._

_“I’M GOING TO BE THE BEST EARTHBENDER TO EVER LIVE!” shouted the 4-year-old, laughing once again. _

_“And I’ll be there with you every step of the way.”_

_*~*~*~*~*_

_A loud and quick knock on the door interrupted the family’s dinner. Who could be out this late in the evening? Before anyone could get out of their seats, the door broke open, flying across the room. _

_“I believe you still owe us something.” The smirk on the man’s face was terrifying to the 10-year-old. [Y/N] could only turn to his mother, confused and scared._

_“It’s going to be okay, sweetie.” Her expression said otherwise. The way her eyebrows were crinkled and her voice shook. _

_‘S-she- no way- she would never lie to me-’_

_“Our agreement was you could have him when he turned 14!” shouted his father._

_“YOU SOLD OUR SON?” yelled his mother, in disbelief._

_“YOU SAID YOU WANTED A LUXIOURIOUS LIFE!”_

_“YOU BASTA-”_

_There was no time to process what had just taken place. The sword drove deep into her stomach as a single drop of red ran down her chin._

_“[Y/N]… run.”_

_*~*~*~*~*_

_How long had he been hiding? The young boy was unsure, but it must’ve been several weeks now. His physical condition was near skeletal, the gauntest he’s ever been. Well, food from the dumpsters weren’t exactly filling. The boy had reached the divide between the desert and the main Earth Kingdom and thankfully, he had yet to see the men responsible for the death of his immediate family. The news spread like wildfire among the people. Though not uncommon, it wasn’t every day that an important family is murdered. [Y/N] didn’t have the full story of how his father died, but he had scavenged enough bits of information to paint the simplified version of it._

_‘This has to be a dream. A bad dream. All of this.'_


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm sorry of the very late chapter. School has been overwhelming me for the past few months and if any of you know me in real life, I always put schoolwork above all. In hindsight, it really isn't healthy and I've been feeling burned out for a while. However, I've been getting better at taking care of myself during the last few weeks. I sincerely hope all of you enjoy this chapter.

\- - - - - - - - -

| No POV |

\- - - - - - - - -

[Y/N] jolted awake, panting heavily. His throat felt constricted and his vision was blurry. His chest felt like it was being sat on by the large boulders from the earthbending academy. There was a strange, seemingly never-ending ringing in his ears and his mind was in a frenzy. He had quickly taken notice a familiar warm liquid flowing down his cheeks once again.

“It’s ok now, child,” said a muffled voice. “Take deep breathes.” The man counted as they both breathe in and out together in an attempt to calm down the distressed. However, it backfired. [Y/N]’s breathing became labored once again as the feeling in his chest weighed down on him even more than before. His thoughts increased in speed as if they were all racing against each other to see which one would finally send their host over the edge. There was the muffled sound of hurrying footsteps and soon a blurry scared face in front of him. The person was talking to him but nothing would register through his head.

Suddenly, [Y/N] felt a pair of warm arms wrap around him. They were hesitant but felt comforting enough for his body to slowly but surely relax. The strong scent of a summer campfire with a tiny tinge of sweat filled his nose as he hiccupped though his sobs. The feeling in his chest had finally lifted its suffocating hold on his body after what felt like forever. Within a few more minutes, he was calm enough to tell that he was shaking like a leaf and clinging onto Zuko like a scared child.

Zuko was by no means a people person. He could barely even speak properly without unintentionally intimidating someone or making a big fool of himself. So when he walked back into the abandoned house they had taken temporary residence in, his heart dropped at the sight. [Y/N] was sitting up but hyperventilating intensely. One of his hands was over his chest, balled into his fist. He could see that his uncle was trying his best to calm the earthbender but was clearly failing.

“Zuko,” whispered Iroh, concerned. “You’ve been with this boy longer than I. I’m not familiar with him as he isn’t with me. You know what to do.” Zuko was dumbfounded. He wanted to let out his disbelief but if he did, he might panic [Y/N] even more. Hesitantly, he crouched down. He is unsure of what to do as he had never had to comfort someone before. But that feeling of uncertainty fades quickly as he remembers an almost distant memory.

“Hey, hey. It’s ok,” he whispered as softly as he could. “You’re alright. It’s going to be ok.” He kept whispering whatever reassurance he could muster to his companion. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around [Y/N] tentatively. His body tensed, and his breathe hitched, but he gradually started to unwind and clung onto Zuko as if he was his lifeline.

Zuko was quiet for a while, rubbing circles into [Y/N]’s back as he cried into his chest. He couldn’t help but think about the many times his mother helped him clam down from a nightmare or night terror.

“_It’s always alright to cry, Zuko,_” she would whisper. “_Your father is not always right_.”

She was always there to anchor him and bring him back to reality. She was his safe space to just be himself for a change. But she left him in the end. It pained him to think about her in anyway, but he could never fully stop himself from doing it. He wonders if she would be proud of who he was, even with all of his failures.

“I’m sorry.” [Y/N]’s voice snapped him from his train of thought.

“Why should you be sorry?” asked Zuko, confused by his companion’s words.

“I’m obviously being some sort of burden on you,” hiccupped [Y/N]. Zuko can only stare at him in shock.

“Why would you ever think that?” Zuko asked in bewilderment. “You are far from a burden. To me, you’re great. More than great actually! Amazing! Funny! You’ve make my days so much better than they’ve ever been! And-”

“You really think so highly of me?” [Y/N]’s voice was small, surprise written all over his face. His eyes searched Zuko’s face for any sign of faltering. After a while, he felt a smile creep up to his face as he sighed happily. He buried his face in the crook of the firebender’s neck, inhaling the scent of warm campfires.

“Can we stay like this? For a while?”

“For as long as you need.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to wash your hands regularly! Stay safe from the virus everyone! And thank you for reading!


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